Drive and reversing mechanism for washing-machines



C. WELHART. DRIVE AND REVERSING MECHANISM FO R WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6,1919.

4 SHEETS -8HEET 1.

Patented Dec.. 13, 1921.

EEEEE C. WELHART.

DRIVE AND REVERSING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES APPLICATION FILED0CT.'6, 1919.

1,399,910, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

We QEIFK (barks neiharl 0. WELHART.

DRIVE AND REVERSING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 61 1919. 1,399,910, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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C. WELHARI. DRIVE AND REVERSING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6- I919.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WELHABT, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, TO GILLESPIE-EDEN CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARESpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

Application filed October 6, 1919. Serial No. 328,865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES \VELHART, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Lowell, inthe county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in a Drive and Reversing Mechanismfor VVashing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull. clear. and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved form of washing machine drivingmechanism having a reversing gear of an ingenious and novel constructionwherein the use of a multiplicity of springs is obviated, and with theparts positively operated to effect a reversal of drive to the clothesdrum of the washing machine at timed intervals.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide a drivingmechanism and reversing gear for a washing machine wherein the reversinggear is manually operatable to cause reversal of the clothes drum of themachine when desired, and is otherwise automatically operable to effecta. reversal of the rotation of the clothes drum at predeterminedintervals.

Drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a washing machine equipped with a driveand reversing gear embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a face view of the reversing gear with the cover of the casingtherefor removed.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the drive to the inclined shaft of themechanism with the cover casing removed.

Fig. 4 is an interior view of drive mechanism for the wringer withthecasing partly broken away and partly removed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

1 Fig-. 7 is a section taken on line 77 of Fig. 8 is a section taken online 88 of F1g. 2.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating therelatlon of the parts atthe instant the clutch-shifting lever of the reversing gear is about tobe shifted, as in Fig. 2.

'F1g. 10 is a similar view showing the parts in another position ofadjustment.

Fig. 11 1s a similar view illustrating the parts ad usted to a point atthe opposite end of the cycle of operation from that of Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a section on line 12-12 of Fig. 2.

Des ription.

The reference numeral .1 indicates as a whole the frame of a washingmachine and the numeral 2 the tub thereof provided with a drain faucet 3at its lower portion. As shown, the tub 2 is provided with asightaperture of glass 4 to ascertain the level of water in the tub.Mounted at the lower end of the frame 1 of the washing machine is acaslng denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 5 and, as shown indetail in Fig. 3, mounted therein is a large gear'G journaled on a studshaft 7 and said gear 6 is driven by a small pinion 8 on the end of adriving shaft 9, of a motor or any other suitable source of power, theend of said shaft 9 projecting into said casing 55. Associated with saidgear 6 and forming a part thereof if desired is a small bevel pinion 10,said pinion meshing with and serving to drive a bevel gear 11 securedupon the lower end of an inclined shaft 12. Said inclined shaft 12extends upwardly through a tubular housing 13, through another casing 14to which said tubular hous-.

ing is connected and is extended beyond said casing 14 through anothertubular housing 15 into a casing 16 secured near the upper end of theframe 1'. Within the casing 14, said shaft 12 is provided with a pair ofbevel pinions 17 and 18 respectively, journaled thereon, and each havinga toothed hub-extension for co-action with a slidable double endedclutch element 19 feathered on the shaft 12 for rotation therewith andslidable for engagement with the extended hubs of either one of saidpinions 18 and 17. As shown in Fig. 7, said pinions 17 and 18 are heldfrom longitudinal movement on the casing 14 is a lever 23 extendingabove and across the face of the gear 20 beneath the shaft 12 andbetween the pinions 17 and 18, and said lever 23 is engaged with, and ina manner to operate, the slidable jaw clutch element 19, as shown inFigs. 2 and 7. A

in 24 provided with a handle is mounted in the casing 14 at the pointthrough which said lever 23 extends, and is adapted to be projectedinwardly through an aperture in said lever 23, as shown in Fig. 8, tolock the lever in central or neutral position with the clutch element 19out of engagement with both the pinions 17 and 18.

Said lever 23 is provided with a curved slot 25 through which engages apin 26, as shown in Figs. 2 and 12, which is slidable on a pivotallymounted rod 27 seated in a recess in the casing 14 centrally disposedwith reference to the neutral position of the lever 23. A spring 28 iscoiled upon said rod and bears against the tubular extension of the pin26 whereby said rod 27 is held seated in its recess and the effect ofsaid spring 28 is also imposed upon the lever, 23 through the pin 26 tothrow the same to either side of its central position when not heldcentral by its stop pin 24. A stud shaft 29 is secured throu h the faceof the gear 20, as shown in 12, and journaled thereon over the face ofthe gear 20 is a star wheel 30, adapted to move easily but havingsuflicient friction upon its shaft 29 so as not to be displaced by therotation of the gear 20. Said star wheel has one tooth 31 which islonger than its other three teeth. A stop pin 32 is provided on the faceof the gear 20 which acts to prevent a complete revolution of the starwheel 30 in either direction. That is to say, the tooth 31 of the starwheel is elongated to such an extent as to strike the stop pin 32 afternearly a complete revolution of the star wheel in either direction. Theother three teeth of the star wheel do not contact with the stop pin 32but are sufficiently long to contact with the pin 26 carried by thelever 23.

The upper end of the shaft 12 which extends into the casing 16 isprovided with a bevel pinion 33, as shown in Fig. 4, meshing with abevel pinion 34 secured upon the lower end of a sectional shaft At itsupper end said shaft 35 is provided with a pair of bevel pinions 36 and37 journaled thereon, and both in mesh with a bevel gear 38 which drivesthe wringer rolls, and a slidable jaw clutch element 39 is mounted onthe shaft 35 between the bevel pinions 36 and 37, to move intoengagement with either one thereof to cause the same to rotate with theshaft 35 and thereby drive the bevel gear 38 in one direction or theother. A handle 40 is provided for shifting the jaw clutch member 39into engagement with either one of the bevel pinions, in accordance withthe direction of drive of the wringer rolls desired. 4

Operation.

When the hand lever 23 of the clutch mechanism is in neutral position,as shown in Fig. 1, no drive is imparted to the clothes drum for thereason that the slidable clutch member 19 is out of engagement with boththe pinions 17 and 18 which continually mesh with the drive gear 20 ofthe clothes drum and are freely rotatable upon the ro tatin drive shaft12. \Vhen the pin 24 which holds the clutch lever 23 in its neutralposition is withdrawn to release the lever, it will spring into one orthe other of its shifted positions depending upon the posi tion of thespring-impelled pin 26 in the slot 25; that is, if the pin 26 is at theleft end of the slot shown in Fig. 2, when the lever 23 is neutral, andthen released, the lever 23 will then swing to the left or upperposition shown in Fig. 2. This causes engagement of the driving pinion18 with the drive shaft 12 through the jaw clutch element 19, and thedriving gear 20 for the clothes drum will be rotated in a clockwisedirection. As the driving gear 20 rotates in a clockwisedirection,'beginning with the position, for instance, as shown in Fig.11, the star wheel 30 will be carried around therewith, and as the gear20 completes its first revolution the elongated tooth 31 will strike thepin 26 of the shift lever 23 and, the star wheel being freely movable,will be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction a space of one tooth.

As shown, the gear shift lever 23 is in of the gear 20 strikes theelongated tooth 31 of the star wheel 30 and as the star wheel is carriedaround by the gear 20 into contact with the pin 26 of the gear shiftlever, retractive movement of the star wheel is prevented by the stoppin 32, and as a consequence the pin 26 is thrust along through thecurved slot 25 of the shift lever, thus displacing the same to theopposite side of dead center position of the spring 28. The lever 23 isthrown into its opposite extreme position by means of the star wheelthrust pin 26, and this movement is assisted by the spring 28 as thelever 23 passes dead center position. The moment the lever 23 moves mtoits opposite extreme position, the clutch element 19 is taken out ofengagement with the pinion 18 and thrust into engagement with the pinion17, and the drive to the gear 20 is reversed so that the same begins arotation in a counter-clockwise direction.

On the first rotation of the gear 20 in a counter-clockwise directioncarrying the star wheel 30 therewith, the elongated tooth 31 is broughtinto contact with the pin 26 which imparts a clockwise rotation to thestar wheel a space of one tooth and subsequently for the next threerevolutions of the gear 20 in a counter-clockwise, the star wheel witheach revolution is rotated in a clockwise direction a space of onetooth. During the fourth revolution of the gear 20 in acounter-clockwise direction, one of the teeth on the star wheel 30contacts thepin 26 to impart the final clockwise rotational adjustmentto the star wheel 30 to bring the elongated tooth into position incontact with the stop pin 32, as shown in its final position in Fig. 11.As the completion of the fourth revolution of the gear wheel 20 is made,the elongated tooth 31 of the star wheel 30 contacts the pin 26, but thestar wheel is held from clockwise rotation by the stop pin 32 andconsequently the pin 26 is moved around in the curved slot 25 of thelever 23 to the opposite side thereof, and thereafter continued movementof the pin by the star wheel shifts the lever 23 into its oppositeposition of adjustment or into that shown in Fig. 2.

This disconnects the drive from the pinion 17 through the clutch element19, and engages the pinion 18 into driving relation with the clutchelement- 19 so that a reversal of drive is imparted to the gear 20.

Substantially four revolutions of the gear wheel 20 in a clockwisedirection are now necessary to adjust the star wheel in acounter-clockwise direction from its position shown in Fig. 11 to itsposition shown in Fig. 9, and during the completion of the fourthrevolution of the gear 20, the elongated tooth 31 of the star wheel,bearing against its stop in 32 on the gear, contacts the pin 26 to shiftthe lever 23 in the manner described and again effects a reversal ofdrive to the gear 20.

This operation is continuous and automatic and it is only by a manualadjustment of the lever 23 into neutral position and locking thereofbythe pin 24, that the drive to the gear 20 is disconnected. Release ofthe lever 23 by the pin 24 will cause the same to swing immediately intoone extreme position or the other under the impulse of the spring 28 andadriving operation will again commence. It is immaterial how manyrevolutions are imparted to the gear 20 and its clothes drum before areversal of drive is caused to take place, as obviously this is afunction of the number of teeth used on the star Wheel 30. However, inthe particular construct-ion shown in this instance, four teeth areprovided, one elongated, permitting slightly more than four completerevolutions of the clothes drum and gear 20 to take place beforereversal of drive.

The reversing operation has no effect upon the drive to the wringermechanism which is in the casing 16 driven by the main driving shaft 12which extends through the reversing gear casing 14 and upwardly to thewringer mechanism in the casing 16.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through awide range without departing from the principles of this invention, andI therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise thannecessitated by the prior art.

Claims.

1. The combination with a drive for a washing machine of a reversingmechanism for the clothes drum comprising a gear connected to theclothes drum, a pair of bevel pinions normally meshed therewith, aninclined drive shaft on which said pinions are journaled, a clutchelement on the drive shaft adapted to interlock with said pinions todrive the same, a pivoted star Wheel carried on said gear having onetooth longer than the others, a shifting lever for the clutch element,and pins on said gear and lever for co-action with the star wheel, thepin on the lever adapted to adjust the same to bring the long tooth intocontact with the gear pin to effect shifting of the lever to reverse thedrive to the gear after a. predetermined number of revolutions thereof.

2. The combination with a drive of a reversing mechanism comprising adriving shaft, a pair of pinions journaled thereon, a clutch elementfeathered on said shaft slidable for driving engagement with both ofsaid pinions, a gear in mesh with both of said pinions adapted to bedriven by one thereof, a star wheel having a long tooth and a pluralityof short teeth carried by the gear, a stop pin carried on the gear, ashifting lever for the clutch, and a pin carried by In testimony whereofI have hereunto 10 said lever, said long tooth on the star wheelsubscribed my name in the presence of two adapted to contact the gearpin, and said subscribing witnesses.

short teeth on said star wheel to contact the lever pin whereby the starwheel efi'ects driv- CHARLES WELHART.

ing engagement between the pin on the gear and the pin on the lever toshift the lever to lVitnesses:

reverse the drive to said gear after a prede- CHARLES A. MAHoNEY,

tel-mined number of revolutions of said gear. FREDERICK W. WILLARD.

